Two Lost Souls
by Abenakiwerewolf
Summary: When Wesley agreed to take an out of town case Angel Investigations didn't expect an incredibly weak girl with dreams that were not her own. Not to mention Connor is still lurking about. AU season 4. Sane Cordelia. Connor/OC, Angel/Cordelia,Buffy/Spike ABANDONED AND UP FOR ADOPTION!


Angel sighed. It had been a long couple of days to say the least. Coming back from an oceanic grave, Cordelia's return [thank God she was normal] and pretending that his son wasn't skulking around the hotel.

Angel purposefully didn't look up at the mezzanine as he walked to his office. Connor was being sneaky, but Angel could always sense him. Not to mention smell him. He sighed once more as he entered his office.

Angel had just sat down when Wesley walked in, arguing with Gunn. "There really is nothing to worry about, I've met these people," Wesley said vehemently.

"Yeah, over the phone," Gunn pointed out with venom. "I just think it's a little strange that just a couple of weeks after our boss's glorious return we get our first out of state clients EVER!"

"And as I've pointed out repeatedly they made this appointment before Angel's return. So unless they had some way of knowing that I was going to do a dredging operation, I think it's highly unlikely that they have some nefarious scheme going on," Wesley said dryly.

Angel sensed that this argument could go on for a while. "Wesley?" The two men turned to look at him. "Who's coming?"

Wesley cleared his throat, much to Angel's amusement. Some of the stuffy watcher had never left the man. "A married couple are bringing their daughter. They are concerned over her failing strength over the past few months. There are other details that they didn't wish to state over the phone, but I feel that it is a legitimate case."

Gunn scoffed, "Yeah, they didn't want to tell you over the phone because they were afraid we'd scarper!"

Angel ignored him and asked "Wouldn't this be more of an issue for, say, a doctor?"

Wesley went into teacher mode. "They mentioned some interest from past doctors that they don't trust. Apparently there's something," Wesley searched for a word and settled on "_unique_, about the girl's blood. Its part of the reason they're so concerned. And why they are coming to us. They have friends who have been clients of ours that have praised our methods."

Angel nodded. "Alright, and if they kill me, Gunn will say 'I told you so'."

oooooooo

Aislinn Sparrow looked out of the car window. She knew that this trip to LA wasn't for pleasure. Well, not entirely. Mom had insisted that they soak in a couple of museums. Dad had insisted on going to a chess tournament.

All this had been done dragging the teenager who could barely walk. The weak spells had been getting steadily worse over the summer. Whenever Aislinn tried to exert herself now she went limp almost immediately.

Aislinn's jaw dropped as she saw the Hyperion Hotel for the first time. It was bigger than she had expected. George Sparrow stopped the car and parked. Hannah Sparrow looked back at her daughter. "You okay sweetie?"

Aislinn gave a wry grin. "No, but that's why we're here isn't it?" She noticed her mother's worried look. "I'm okay, Mama."

George gave his daughter a big grin. He had come in late to the family, joining them when Aislinn had been turning 9, but he loved her as if she were his own flesh and blood. It made him frantic with worry when she had started getting so weak. His family had teasingly begun to call him the "Mama Bear".

Aislinn walked slowly into the hotel, helped by her parents. Her eyes widened at the interior. The architecture was amazing. A woman worked at the desk. Her eyes widened when she took in the trio walking into the lobby. "Can I help you?" she asked with a faint Texan accent.

"We're here to see Wesley and Angel. We have an appointment?" Hannah half asked. The woman's eyes widened further. "An appointment? Really? We don't get many appointments," she babbled. "Usually it's just with blood and the horror and I'm babbling aren't I? WESLEY!"

Angel and Wesley came in and began to make sense of the situation. The teenage girl was leaning quite heavily against her parents. Wesley gestured to one of the round couches in the middle of the room, "Please, sit."

George and Hannah maneuvered Aislinn into position and eased her down. Even the short journey from the car had tired her and she looked almost white with a bluish tint to her lips. Angel was worried by how weak her heart sounded. Even Wesley could sense her failing health. "Good Lord, if you had waited much longer she might be…." He cut himself off, realizing that the family might not want to hear what he had been about to say.

Aislinn gave the British man a tired grin. "It's okay to say the 'D' word. I know I'm headed that way." When her parents began to protest she held up a trembling hand. "It's true and you know it." George and Hannah fell silent with worried frowns on their faces.

Angel took lead. "What can you tell us? And keep in mind the more we know the more likely we can get you fixed up."

Hannah heaved a sigh and said, "My sister was into the dark magic's. She got involved with vampires. She used a blood ritual to take their energy and turn it into her own magic. She and I were all alone in the world. I tried to get her to stop but she was…" Hannah trailed off. George and Aislinn put their hands on her in a show of support. Angel noticed the interaction with interest. This was a very close family.

Hannah finally continued. "She was addicted to the things that she and the vampires did. Eventually she came across one that didn't want to play it her way. He raped her and left her for dead. I found her bleeding on the floor of her apartment. I got her to a hospital and later we found out that she was pregnant. She didn't survive the birth of her child. I adopted Aislinn and raised her as my own. It wasn't easy; I was 21 and a single mother. I tried to finish my college, but had to leave a year away from my bachelors."

George broke in, "I met them the year Aislinn turned 9. They had just moved to Brattleboro and Hannah and I had a friend in common. She introduced us and we got married the following year. Hannah made us wait a year to let Hannah adjust but just after a week of knowing each other we knew that we were meant to be together."

Aislinn added, "I called Mama a Scarlet Woman when I first realized that Dad had spent the night in Mama's bed."

Angel, Wesley, and Fred chuckled. Wesley gestured to the family to continue. Aislinn took over. "They got married. But Dad had to be brought in on the secrets. I'd always been different. I was stronger than most adults by the time I was five, I could lift Mama over my head by the time I was six."

Aislinn looked down, trying to figure out how to put the next bit. Angel and Wesley wondered how she had gone from that strong to such a sickly looking girl. Aislinn looked into Angel's eyes. "Ever since I've gotten sick the dreams have changed too."

This got the team's attention. "Dreams?" Fred asked.

Aislinn smiled ruefully. "Before they were scenes. People in trouble usually, but it could be in the past, the future, the present. And everywhere; I'm even pretty sure that I saw some very hush hush military operations one time. The ones that affected my family were the hardest to remember. Usually I'd remember the entire dream right before it happened. Not much warning really. And the remembered dreams come with head-splitting migraines."

Aislinn sighed and went on, "Now it's pictures of one guy. Vampire, but he's got a soul." She glanced up at Angel. "It's not you. But this vamp, I'm in his head somehow. I'm seeing all the things he's ever done. It's like a constant bombardment of blood and death. But the one that keeps repeating is him trying to force himself on a blonde. She's strong and pushes him off. That one is always with the words, 'don't hurt the girl'."

Aislinn couldn't continue and it showed. She buried her face into her mother's ample shoulder and hid for a few moments. "He loves that girl so much and there's so much guilt over hurting her," she said, her voice slightly muffled. "He changed; he got his soul to make her happy."

"These dreams, did they start with the weak spells?" Wesley asked gently. His heart went out to the girl. He also worried about Angel. He knew that the vampire would begin to brood about not being unique.

"To the minute. I woke up and fell when I tried to get out of the bed," Aislinn said wearily.

Angel stirred. When he realized their eyes were on him he said, "Do you have any other vampire characteristics?"

"Angel, I don't think that the dreams can be counted as vampire…" Wesley began.

"No, the strength, Wes. Any others?" Angel asked Aislinn.

Aislinn slowly nodded her head. "I get a little strange around blood. My eyes turn a weird color and I start to move toward it, like I can't control myself. More so now since the weak spells."

Wesley asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Is the vampire in your dreams your father?"

"No!" Aislinn shouted, and then fell back from the effort. "No," she continued more quietly, "Dad is my father."

George gave Aislinn a one sided hug. "I think they meant birth father, or biological father, sweetie."

Aislinn's cheeks went pink. "I knew that," she said in a way that made it very clear that she hadn't. She looked almost ashamed when she looked at her father. "I think so," she said in a tiny voice. "I think he is."

George smiled down at his daughter, not in the least concerned. "I know that I'm the only man who will ever have your heart, darling. I'm not worried."

Aislinn smiled at her father. "You're going to have to give me up someday. God forbid you chase away all my future suitors with a rifle." She stopped at the look on his face. "Dad, you didn't actually buy a rifle did you?" His grin didn't reassure her, nor did the fact that her mother was snickering.

Fred smiled at the interactions between father and daughter, so similar to her family's. "Don't you worry; we'll get her back on her feet!" She said to the girl's parents.

"Yes," Wesley agreed before saying, "I think it would be best if Miss Sparrow were to stay overnight. For some observations," he clarified.

Aislinn looked up at her parents. "Mama, Dad, what do you think?" Hannah and George looked at each other and did what their daughter called 'The non-verbal-you've-been-married-for-a-while' thing. George nodded to the ex-Watcher and the souled vampire. Hannah immediately began to fuss over her daughter; much to Aislinn's laughing mock-irritation.

George began to make plans for dropping off a bag and slipped in some warnings about not letting Aislinn get hurt. "Or the entire Putney Coven will be here before you can say Argelfraster!" Fred laughed, getting the literary reference.

Finally Aislinn's parents left. Angel sent Fred to get Aislinn's room ready. Fred thought she saw someone duck out of the way ahead of her in the hall, but she chocked it up to too little sleep.

Meanwhile downstairs Angel was awkwardly asking Aislinn if it was okay if he carried her up to the room. Aislinn thought his stuttering was rather cute in a ridiculous way, and she assented to being carried. Angel carefully pulled the teen into his arms, and lifted her. Aislinn found herself staring at a cut on his throat. It had stopped bleeding, but it still smelled of blood. Rich, powerful blood.

Aislinn swallowed hard and forced herself to look away from the cut. She glanced at Wesley to see if he had noticed her preoccupation. He had and she glanced away in shame. She laid her head against Angel's shoulder, feeling at home in his arms. Something about him screamed safety and home to her. Gently Angel bore her upstairs.


End file.
